Happy New Year, Groundhog's Day, winter, and anything else you may be celebrating. We've got some exciting things to share with you, so without any further ado...

Do your students love to doodle? Give them a chance to showcase their art on Google.com's homepage by registering your school for Doodle 4 Google. Doodle 4 Google is a competition open to K-12 students in U.S. schools who are invited to create their own Google doodle inspired by the theme, "If I Could Do Anything, I Would . . . " We are delighted to encourage and celebrate the creativity of young people, and we look forward to seeing the range of creative doodles that are submitted. The competition kicks off today, and you can find details on the Official Google Blog.

Teachers should go to www.google.com/doodle4googleto register their school by 11:59:59 P.M. Pacific Time (PT) on March 17, 2010. Parents and children interested in participating should pass this link on to their teachers to get them registered. Teachers must sign up on behalf of their students and submit their doodles and entry forms by March 31, 2010 11:59:59 P.M. Pacific Time (PT) after they register their school online.

A competition wouldn't be complete without prizes. What prizes are awarded to Doodle 4 Google winners and finalists this year?

The National Winner will win a $15,000 college scholarship to be used at the school of their choice, a trip to New York City for an event on May 26, 2010, a laptop computer, a Wacom digital design tablet, and a t-shirt printed with their doodle on it. We'll also award the winner's school a $25,000 grant towards the establishment/improvement of a computer lab. The winning doodle will also be featured on the Google.com homepage on May 27, 2010.

Each of the other 3 National Finalists will win a trip to New York City for an event on May 26, 2010, a laptop computer, a Wacom digital design tablet and a t-shirt printed with their doodle on it.

Each of the other 40 Regional Finalists will win a trip to New York City for an event on May 26, 2010and a t-shirt printed with their doodle on it.

Each of the other 400 State Finalists will receive a "Doodle 4 Google" certificate and be featured on the Doodle 4 Google web site.

As an additional incentive this year, we are also giving out eight (8) Extra Credit: Technology Booster Awards that consist of netbook computers to schools who submit the maximum number of doodles by March 10, 2010 and have a student who is one of the 400 State Finalists. For more information on eligibility, visit the Doodle 4 Google website here, http://www.google.com/doodle4google/.

Students' doodles will be judged on artistic merit, creativity, representation of the theme, and other criteria. This year we'll also have a panel of 10 "Expert Jurors" who will help judge Doodle 4 Google. These are well known illustrators, cartoonists, and animators from organizations such as The Sesame Street Workshop, Dr. Seuss Enterprises, and Pixar Animation Studios who are the creators of Toy Story 3. A public exhibit of the 39 regional finalists and the national winner will be open to the public at the Smithsonian's, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum from May 27 to July 8, 2010. To give your class a little inspiration, check out last year's winners at the Doodle 4 Google website.

Are you or your administrators thinking about bringing Google Apps Education Edition to your school? Join us to hear from Clarkstown Central School District in a webinar on February 10, 2010 (11AM PST/2PM EST) to learn how the district created a collaborative curriculum portal for teachers across all their buildings and campuses using Google Apps. Hear what factors helped them decide to "Go Google" and the results they've seen with school staff and students since making the switch. You can also submit your questions for Clarkstown School District and the Google team ahead of time to be addressed during the webinar.